178: The Year in Review: Arts and Literature

ARTS AND LITERATURE
(part one - Arts)

Went for a run today. This action is a little bit like going for a ride, excepting the fact that it hurts a lot more. It is amazing when you do not do something for a long time how it takes a minute to get back in the swing of things. I do not recommend it. So much for a century today. Ps - I moved away from snowy weather for a reason, to be away from it.

BEST GALLERY (Large Scale)
Saatchi Gallery - London

People know that when I say "Best Gallery" what I mean is "Best Gallery That I Visited" right? When I was in London last January the exhibit The Revolution Continues: New Chinese Art was in full effect. Cool things about the Saatchi Gallery: 1) you can take all the photos that you like 2) while they definitely discourage touching of the art works, there are no barriers between viewer and art. The exhibit featured Contemporary Chinese Artists in sculpture, print and even a city sculpture made from dog chew toys. The other crazy thing about the Saatchi gallery that day? My pal Janice Checcio happened to be there. No biggie, just happen to be across the Atlantic hanging out at a gallery...

I took this photo before I knew that it was Janice too. I just thought this exhibit titled Chinese Offspring - by Zhang Dali looked crazy with all these sculptures hanging upside down at the mezzanine level. And then I was standing next to her going... "no fucking way." Good times.

BEST ART BLOG:
My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses.

BEST NAME FOR AN ART BLOG:
My Love for You is a Stampede of Horses.

You have heard me talk about Meighan and her blog before. If you have not checked it out, now would be a good time. Lets get down to brass tacks here, she is doing some really cool shit. Putting on art shows in Superb Bicycle as well as the raddest sneaker den in Boston - Bodega, she also writes over at Juxtapoz* and curated her own little show over at the Fourth Wall Gallery. *You hear that Lance? - Juxtapox Magazine...

And we are on the move...

AN INTERESTING GRAPHIC BLOG:
Nice Fucking Graphics!

Carey SH has turned me on to a great number of sweet blogs this past year as well. Before we actually worked in the same office together she would send me weekly updates of cool things to look at. Now she casually mentions them over the top of her Gigantic computer monitor.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE:
ISO50

HERE IS ANOTHER:
Hue+Saturation

BEST GALLERY (Smaller Scale)
Ampersand Vintage

Located on Portland's presteeegous Alberta Street this quaint little bookstore, vintage photo spot and art gallery is hands down the best spot to pick up cool stuff. Each last Thursday of the month, when all the hippies come out on Alberta and try to push their fried dough on you Myles opens his shop to another artist to display their wares. The great thing about this shop, however is its accessibility. You can find pure gems of every price range in the shop whether it be an art book, print, or old typographers manual.


Ah, the fresh smell of paper.

Stay tuned for Part Two: Literature later today. First I have to go on a bicycle ride with Ira. Which I am sure is going to feel like hell personified. Which is partly why I am doing it right?

177: The Year in Review: History

HISTORY

For the History edition I thought we would step back in time just a bit to Belgium. I knew that these photos would come in handy one day. The Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde has to be the one single spot that I set foot upon this year that advanced my Historical education of the Cycling lifestyle. Lucky for me I got to go there once with Molly while she was on her Campaign of Pain last year, and once while riding the Flanders Sportiv a few months later.

Before heading into this prestigious museum Molly and I pondered the vending machine outside. Need a flat repair kit? Or maybe you forgot your water bottle. No need to worry, they have that too. I don't really think that the thing worked though. Because even though we put in money it just kept flashing "666" which we took as our cue to slowly back away.

Then we turned around and were greeted by former Twice World Champion Freddy Maertens. When you enter the museum he acts as your first guide. He helps you choose the way that you should proceed into the depths below, and that is by choosing one of the Ronde van Vlaanderen's past winners to help guide you through. I made the mistake of saying "But Freddy, I choose you." You see, Fred has never won Flanders even though he has come extremely close more than a few times. And he was not shy about telling us about them. And then we descended to the museum below...


The Flandria car could be considered one of the highlights of the museum. It had its own section all to itself where you could check out this wonder up close. In its heyday the Flandria team — which had a lifespan of almost twenty years— had a pretty stellar cast. Everyone from Walter Godefroot, Rik Van Looy, the De Vlaeminck brothers (of which I choose Erik for his seven Cross World Championship Titles) and of course Freddy Maertens. In 1973 team was also the first team to have their components sponsored by this little Japanese manufacturer...Shimano.


Enough of that, lets move on. I loved these handlebars, but for the life of us we could not figure out why you would coat the bars with this copper wire. Or what looked to be copper wire. Maybe they would wrap the bars with this first before the usual Bennotto Tape or what have you to dampen the blows on the cobbles. Fill me in here people, this history lesson goes both ways.


There was also a long wall which showed all of the winners of RVV. Pretty amazing to see all these people lined up next to each other. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how far we have to go with our beloved Tour of California to make it a staple in the hearts and minds of the American people. I would venture to guess that we would also have to create a tough as nails one day classic as well (Battenkill?).


Shit, I did not even get to the Jerseys. Vintage Jerseys lining the walls wherever you turn. I have been to a few museums in my day but never one so dedicated to the art of the bike race than the the RVV in Oudenaarde. If you get the chance, or are in the area, make the trip. There is also a full-er set on Flickr.

Oh yeah, there were some gloves with this guy Eddy's name on them. I think they call that the Dukes of Hazzard Font. Which I guess is somewhat fitting.


----------------------------------------
Editors Note:
Thanks to everyone who has been writing in. It is really great to hear your thoughts and feedback as the year comes to a close. And a special thanks goes out to Geert who sent over this photo of Stephanie Clerckx to prove that they do have pretty girls in Belgium. I thought for a moment that it actually was Tom Boonen, but as a looked closer I could see that this person did in fact have boobs and therefor could not be T.B. Maybe she just borrowed his jersey?

176: The Year in Review: Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment can mean a lot of things. A lot of different things to a lot of different people. For me it usually amounts to laughs. Laughs are pretty hard to come bike in the cycling arena though, trust me. Do you know someone who puts on their "dex" to go out and ride no matter what the temperatures? Someone who logs hundreds of miles on a trainer through the winter just to get ahead? Chances are they are not laughing when they do it.

So, even though I do find plenty of things in the cycling world plenty funny, I usually turn elsewhere for humor and entertainment. However there are a few places that I turn to for entertainment on a regular basis. And most of these things happen to be websites. Brendan Quirk already named his best blog of the year with La Gazetta Della Bici. Which is pretty great.

I like to mix up my blog reading. I spread my time evenly between bicycles, humor, awesomeness, bikes, design, and of course porno. But I do not think that I have the time or space to go into all of these right here. So, I'll just give you what I can.

WEBSITES —

BEST BIKE BLOG (Industry)
Competitive Cyclist - What's New

This is a great journal that chronicles the story of BQ over at Competitive. His humorous insights into the cycling industry make up a good portion of the posts, but what is even more interesting are the personal anecdotes that fill in the spaces in between. To be able to look at one person who built an operation like Competitve from the ground up, and from working at bicycle shops, I will always have a soft spot for that viewpoint. Especially when everything is as transparent as it is.

Wonder what it would be like on a bi-weekly basis and with a better format (you can integrate photos into blogs now-its crazy)? The other thing about Quirk is that he started calling for better journalism in Cycling early last year. I am curious if the cycling world has lived up to his expectations.

RUNNER UP

BEST CYCLING BLOG (Industry)
Independent Fabrication

Headed up by Tyler over at IF this is the best blog around that says "Here's what we're doing" and also a bunch of other cool stuff. I really do not know how Tyler finds the time to weld amazing bikes, shoot photos of all of them once their built, come up with new ideas and art shows, and update this blog. Good on you as they say.

MOST LIKELY TO SHRED.
Eddy Merkin Cycling Related Team

MOST ABLE TO WEATHER THE STORM
Trackosaurus Rex

Here is a little story about Trackosaurus. When I went to South America a couple years ago. Has it been four already? I looked up every Velodromo I could. (That is how you say Velodrome in Spanish in case you were wondering). Well, I took some photos at a Velodrome in Montevideo, Uruagay which turned out to be named after my friend Natalia's great grandfather, or something like that. In any case, I put them up on my blog at the time. When I returned to the states my friend Scott rang me up and said, hey man, I have been looking at this kick ass bicycle related website (maybe we didn't know what blogs were then?) and these look like your photos of the velodrome. Sure enough they were, and that was the first time I saw Trackosaurus. Good stuff.

FAVORITE NEW
You Might Find Yourself

NON-WEB RELATED—

MOST EMBARRASING MOMENT
La Clique - London Hippodome

I have had some pretty embarrasing moments in my life let alone this past year. There was the time that my pants came down on the waterslide (true story), or the fart on the gym mat (also true) but those are in the past, now we are just dealing with this past year.

My friend took me to see this show last January. Pretty spectacular. Take a look at the video here and you will get some idea of the extent of the proximity of the performers to the audience. Well, I was sitting in one of the chairs nearest to the stage, and let me tell you, all of the performances are not as tame as this one. In fact, one of the ladies even removed her clothing while dancing and telling jokes. She whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Laughing and gasping all the same. And while she was doing this she took a hankerchief from someone in the crowd and put it in her nether region. The embarrasing part happened when she spun around the room and stopped right next to me. Cue spotlight. Lets just say that what happened next ammounted to her removing said hankie and waving it a few times in my face. I was, in the words of a 15 year old girl — Mortified.

RUNNER UP
Confusing a bicycle shop owners daughter for another bike shop owners wife. She was 15 and I'm quite sure — Mortified. Like me.

There is too much to tackle in the way of Entertainment, really. All of this is entertainment isn't it? Fuck it. I'm off to the movies.

175: The Year in Review: Geography

GEOGRAPHY

"...so I rushed past the pretty girls, and the prettiest girls in the world live in Des Moines." -Jack Kerouac

I cannot say that is entirely true, but at this point I do not have enough evidence to support or disprove it. However, what I can say is that the prettiest girls in the world are not in Belgium. I went there, and I do not know if I saw one. A girl that is.

I have been to, and ridden in quite a few different spots this past year and each and every one holds a small place in my heart. I say that with every amount of seriousness that I can muster. And that is a lot at this point seeing as I have not really left this house much in the last few days. You know this feeling? Cabin fever some call it. It does funny things with ones mind. Just ask Jack Nicholson.

BEST ROAD
Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

I am just letting these fly off the cuff here, but this one was pretty damn amazing. We had a day off during our little Rapha Continental adventure this summer so we decided to go for a ride. What the heck, its not like we were going to ride 120 miles the next day. Oh, wait. In any case, if you want to ride on some of the best paved least populated roads in this country. Go to Asheville and ride out from there. And while you are at it. Look up Kevin (pictured above) he works at Liberty Bicycles and is just generally pretty awesome.

BEST ROAD (GRAVEL)
East Coast Gentleman's Race - New Paltz, NY

This one comes in the form of a video for you to look at. I have ridden this section of gravel/dirt road two times. Once when we did the first ever East Coast Continental ride out of New Paltz, and second for this Gentleman's race. There are a few things to note in the video though. One, my tattoo (0:35) says "Contentment" not "Continental" although that would be hilarous. And two when the gravel starts (02:06) Harlan Price hits it like he had been waiting for it all day. Chances are, he was waiting for it all day, but that is beside the point. And then when Peter Bradshaw, in the next few frames, takes over for the Embro team, well that just made me smile.

There were quite a few gravel roads that we rode on over the past year. This one really sticks out because of the sheer bliss that came over all of us when we rode it. The pace goes up. People start to look around with that Devil May Care attitude and inevitably, someone attacks.... so good.

BEST RACE - AMATEUR
Battenkill - Cambridge, NY

Battenkill Wins out on this one. As I understand it Dieter is getting lots of heat for upping his prices. But I have no problem with that. Know why? Because this race kicks ass. I am more than psyched that we are going to be out there for this again this year. What? Did I just say that? The Rapha Condor squad is participating, but more importantly the Embrocation Racing Team is participating - so watch out you Limey Bastards.

I think that there were three or four of us away from the group with 10 or so miles to go when I flatted. PVB gave me his wheel and I was off again, but whatever, it was fun anyway. There was gravel sketching people out, there were other people sketching people out, there was a slo-mo uphill crash that sketched people out. What's not to like?

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AWARD
(two way tie - West Virginia and Outside London)

This is the award for when you go "holy shit, did I just drop through a worm hole or something? Where the fuck am I?" It is a good thing. You realize that wherever you are and wherever you go, there is always some weird crazy shit going on.

Like, when you find yourself standing in a taxidermy shop... blah blah blah... I am quite sure that you are sick of hearing me talk about this ride. Click on the above link to watch the video. This one wins out solely based on its strangeness. One minute your riding through the hills led by one of the best guides ever - Jay Moglia - and the next watching a taxidermist play the banjo like you have never seen before.

The two way tie goes to riding with Guy Andrews outside of London. Also kind of surreal to go from admiring a man's work from afar to becoming great friends with him and being able to ride through the countryside of both the UK and BE with him. Thanks for that.


Other notable mentions.

Best Place on Earth to Watch Pro Cyclocross: Belgium.
Best Place to View Paris-Roubaix: A Press Car.
Best Place to Live if you like hills: As Close to Portland as Possible.
Most Amazing Vista: Pretty much any ride in the US of A.

174: The Year in Review

BQ over at Competitive Cyclist did his awards in two parts. So, I figured that I should put out the Embro Awards 09. We shall see if I can keep it up, but here is the plan so far.

Each day will have a theme. Some days might be a little more loose and interpretive than others. The overall theme was taken from Trivial Pursuit in case you were wondering. I could not think of a way to break it down and get everything worth mentioning in there, so I went with theirs.

Monday - Geography (blue)
I have had the great fortune of riding in a few different spots this past year. Everywhere from the UK to the middle of no where Georgia. Which place came out on top? Where was the best climb? What happens when your friend suddenly slams on the brakes and turns directly in front of you? (Best Crash)

Tuesday - Entertainment (pink)
This comes in all forms these days. Websites, magazines, and events are all entertaining, that is true. But so are Cyclocross races and Cyclocross Racers for that matter. People who get angry on the internet (and in person) are also entertaining. FYI. So, entertainment it is.

Wednesday - History (yellow)
Pretty self explanitory (or is it?). We learn from our past right? That is what everyone is trying to say about HisStory anyway. Michael Jackson learned from his. Photography is also a good way of looking at history. I learned something about Cycling History this year. I hope. Also Ira and I are going to try to sneak in a little hundred miler this day, so go easy on me.

Thursday - Arts and Literature (brown)
There are some pretty great publications dedicated to the Cycling world these days. I will attempt to wax intellectual about a few of them. And artwork can be fun as well.

Friday - Science and Nature (green)
Ahh. What have you cooked up in your laboritory? There is so much tech that goes into every piece of the bicycle that I would not know where to start. So I am just highlighting a few things in the Science Department. And Nature? Well, that will be good too. We are going au natural for that one.

Saturday - Sports and Leisure (orange)
Do you really think that I am going to make it this far? I certainly hope so. The best of the rest. Sports and Leisure. How do these two things get lumped together? Maybe it should be Sport and Leisure for our English friends. Or Maths and English (I love how they say "Maths" it is so fucking cute.)

Really though, this Embro Awards is somewhat of a test for myself. Their seems to be a certain bicycle show just on the horizon and I am not going to lie. I am excited about it this year for a number of reasons. One of them being that I am going.

I guess check back later today to see what happens in the Geography sector.

173: When in the Mechanics Tent.

I dipped in and out of the Cannondale/SRAM tent quite a bit while I was at Nationals. Our tent was set up about three doors down (little joke) from them so it was easy to stop in and see what they were up to. Sometimes TJ and Co (Jeremy Powers, Jayme Driscoll) were warming up. Sometimes Stu Thorne was having conversations on how to Glue Tubulars and sometimes there was bike work going on. Sometimes there was food.


Well, being the nosy snoop that I am I have no problem overstepping my bounds and investigating what is going on. Especially when there happens to be beer brats simmering on a grill nearby. I grew up with this Midwestern Delicacy and the grumble of my stomach was quite audible when in the vicinity of these little beauties. Powered by SRAM? Nay, powered by José Alcala's BRAT.

It is also interesting to peer into the inner workings of these tents and see what the Mechanics have for their own personal space. I do have one rule when doing this:

~Rule # 1: Never Piss Off A Mechanic. ~
If you are confused about other rules refer back to this one.~

~Rule #2 - Ask Don't Tell. ~

I am sure that you have worked at many bike shops for many many years. Quite sure of it. Know why? Me too. Almost nine years did I spend in and out of shops. But that doesn't mean that I know much of anything about fixing bikes, and neither do you. Or at least that is what you should assume when dealing with Professional Mechanics (see Rule #1). Plus, everyone has a different way of doing things and these guys got to where they are by, well, doing things.

~Rule #3 - Treat Mechanics with the Respect they Deserve.~

A Story (all true) To Illustrate My Point:

I spent a good amount of time working in bars and restaurants through college. Which means I spent a great amount of time around chefs and cooks. I got very good behind the bar making milkshakes and even took a certain level of pride in making the best at the pub.

The chefs got wind of this and I was soon refreshing them every few hours. Sometimes booze went in. Sometimes it was a good way to get drugs into their system. Either way it kept them happy and they were always ready to reciprocate with a mid-shift sandwich, burger, or extra-crispy fries (absolutely my favorite).

There was one chef that I got along with very well and was always adding some sort of powder or potion to his favorite variety - the vanilla shake. Well, one time he purported to wanting to reward me for my fantastical ice cream drink with his "special sandwich" the only requirement being that I could not ask what was in it, and I had to sit down and actually enjoy it.

Well, I saw him start to hand over the plate, steaming and fresh off the grill, the merest hint of a smile on his face, when I said it... I don't know why I said it, it just sort of slipped out. "What did you do spit in it?" My heart sank with the plate as it crashed to the floor in front of me. "I am a CHEF" he screamed at me "at CHEF!" And that is when the knife throwing started and I made a hasty retreat.

Eventually we became friends again, but it is a story that I think back on often. Especially when I am in bicycle shops, borrowing peoples tools, or peering into the kitchen of some local dining establishment.

Rule #3: Don't Borrow. Even "just for a second. "

Do I come into your home and borrow your wife? Probably not. Do I come to work and surf the interwebs on your computer? Unlikely. Would I drink your beer if you left to use the restroom? Only if you were cold sore free.

I know that sometimes "its an emergency" and the mechanics tools are just sitting right there. But do not fucking take, borrow, or even touch them without asking. You cannot go wrong by asking, because chances are, if they are anywhere as surly as Verg (Shimano Superstar) or Matt Roy (also a Superstar) they will tell you exactly what and where you can use and touch. They are not being dicks I promise. They are just doing their jobs.

Mechanics are a pretty amazing lot. I have had the good fortune of meeting some pretty damn amazing ones too, and if you treat them right (like I said, with the respect that they deserve) you cannot go wrong.

The other (real) reason why I enjoy hanging around mechanics? Because they always have the best stories. When all the fans have gone home and are in their beds softly sleeping, the mechanics are still at work and that is when the pro's start to get crazy.

So, if you get the chance. Hug your mechanic.

This goes out to Matt, Chad, Verg, Gino, Norm, Peter, David, Kyle, Drew (who was the guy with the Prince Valiant Haircut?) and every other mech that has ever helped me. Thanks.

172: Back to Nats and Mo's Bike

I may be dead by the time you read this. No joking. I saw the opportunity while at Nationals to capture Maureen Bruno-Roy's bike in the wild and I just kind of went for it. I am a journalist after all (or like to pretend I am one) and when I saw this rare creature in the wild, I could not resist.

You see. This bike has never been in public like this before. At least not without a rider. Think endangered species. Why? Well for one because it is a custom Seven Cycles Cross (check out their employee commuters) bike that was built just for Mo. Her geometry was taken into account in every way shape and form to get this bike to be suited to her particular needs. Only that is not why this bike, or my life is endangered. Dirty. My life is in question here because this bike is dirty. (I can hear about twenty or thirty people I know going "Oooh, shit, Matt is going to kill youuuu.")

It felt almost a little wrong when I was shooting the bike like this. Maybe Mo noticed it as well? Me looking over my shoulder to the mechanics area of the Cannondale tent every two or three seconds. "Don't worry about it, a Cross bike is supposed to be dirty." She might have accented the 'supposed' to make me feel better, or maybe as a nod to here diligent husband mechanic whom I was sure was sending laser eye beams at me from somewhere.

Indeed. Dirty.


Matt is pretty awesome though. He has been putting cute stickers on Mo's stem and handlebars as long as I can remember. Last year it was tiny photos of their cats Pippin and Merry (Mary?) but this year I can only guess that this angry looking cupcake is supposed to draw out Mo's Meaner side (doubt its going to work). Or, possibly it is an homage to the Vegan cupcakes that Mo seems to bring with her every where she goes? How one finds time to have a career, nay, two careers (one racing bikes, one as a masseuse) and still bake goodies is beyond me.

Seriously. These pesky XTR's are everywhere...

Mo is heading to Worlds with this bike. Did I forget to mention that? Well, I do not know officially if she is going, but she made the team, which means that she is one of the top five or six people qualified to represent the United States of Friggin America on that way. Way to go with that... AND she won the 09/10 National Cyclocross Calendar. Pretty cool stuff. I heard a nasty rumor that claimed something to the effect of people poo-pooing her for choosing to stick close to home in order to garner more results. And you know what I say to that?

You people are straight up dildos, that is what I say. Dildo's and Ding-Dongs. And I mean that the best way possible, so do not try to misconstrue what I am saying.

In any case, Mo has gotten to where she is by being extremely hard working and an incredibly nice person. If you choose to stay closer to home to...well, be closer to home (especially with the sneaking suspicion that K. Compton might win - no offense) then I would also call that a strategy. And strategies people are what win wars. And lets get beyond the bullshit here and just say it. Cyclocross is war.

Whew. Glad that is out of the way. Now you are free to peruse these dirty photos.


Editors Note: One final note here. I am going to publish this post because I think that this bike is really fucking cool and I think that Mo and Matt are also really fucking cool. I do feel this little pang of regret for putting it up there when it is not all bright and shiny, because that is how it is the majority of the time.